DEC to take stock of Tripura election preparation tomorrow

Published: Saturday, February 9, 2008, 12:35 [IST]

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Agartala, Feb 9 (UNI) Deputy Election Commissioner (DEC) R Balakrishnan would visit Tripura tomorrow to take stock of the election preparation in the state and to hold separate meetings with district level poll officials and security personnel.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Dr G S G Ayyanger said here today that as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) instruction, the state poll panel had made all arrangements to conduct free, fair and trouble-free election in Tripura on Feb 23.

He stated that as many as 327 candidates, including 60 each of the Left Front and Congress-INPT combine, were in the fray after final phase of scrutiny and initial phase of withdrawal of nominations.

According to him, soon after arrival, Mr Balakrishnan would go to Dharmanagar, northernmost part of the state, to hold a meeting with Observers, District Election Officer, Superintendent of Police, Returning Officers and SDPOs of north district, followed by another meeting at Manu in Dhalai district.

The next day, Mr Balakrishnan would hold review meeting with the poll officials, security officials and Observers of West Tripura and South Tripura in Agartala and Udaipur respectively.

Meanwhile, state police chief K T D Singh, however, confirmed that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had already sent 50 per cent of 200 companies of additional central paramilitary forces to conduct the elections peacefully.

District Magistrates of all four districts had issued a notification with a direction to the people to deposit their licensed firearms within February 15 to maintain peace during pre-election and post-election period in the state.

The notification said strict action would be taken against the people, who had failed to deposit their arms within the stipulated date.

It also said if anyone kept their arms even after the expiry of license and failed to deposit the same to a nearby police station, the owner would be looked under the Firearms Act, 1959, and the arms would be confiscated.